"By the way, I promised the kids that I'll be preparing dinner tonight, so please don't prepare dinner. I'll come back to cook." Luca informed Aunt Neile so that she would not prepare dinner in advance. The kids were picky with their food. They would know who prepared the meal with just a bite. Luca was trying to prevent them from wasting food.“Alright. I got it. Ms. Craw, drive safely,” said Aunt Neile with a smile on her face. She appreciated that Luca would always inform her of things in advance. This could prevent her efforts and time from being wasted. Luca nodded, indicating that she heard her. Then, she turned around and walked out of the villa. After Luca put the gift bags into the car, she was ready to drive to the hospital. Her phone notification suddenly rang, telling her that she had received a message. Luca picked up her phone. It was a message from Luke. [Boarding now.] Those simple words seemed to throb in Luca's heart. Luke was telling her where he was. Al
Johann was not here. Luca could not guarantee that Dr. Wood would be able to remember it after she taught him. That was why she asked Nina to record a video so that Dr. Wood could watch the video after this.“Sure.” Nina took her phone out. Although she thought looking at the needles pricking into the flesh was painful and cruel, Luca was the one who asked for her help, so she would definitely help out.Luca opened the new set of needles. She began inserting the needles after Mrs. Hugh went out of the ward.Dr. Wood was standing beside her, learning seriously while listening to Luca’s explanation. Nina was stabilizing her hands while holding the phone and recording the process of Luca inserting the needles into the acupoints. Nina glanced at Tyrone. He did not seem like he was in pain looking at his expression. She could not help but whisper to herself how miraculous it was.Even though the needles were fine and thin, it usually hurt when one was pricked with them. However, the
“Marie isn’t a good person…” Luca could not help but blurt out.“You know that too. It’s troubling me so much. I regret bailing him out of jail now. My mom will surely get mad and pass out if she finds out about this.” Nina frowned. If Anna knew about this, she might think that not bailing Jean out of jail was the right choice. At least Jean would not have gotten back together with Marie. Nina refused to believe that Marie was truly in love with Jean. After all, Marie never visited him when Jean was caught. "Yeah, I know. Previously, when I was helping Old Man Rayne recuperate his health at his house, I saw Marie making a scene at the entrance of the district. Ms. Rayne told me about her," replied Luca. She did not expect a grown-up like Jean to be such a dunderhead. It was as though he was out of his mind. He was actually still attracted to Marie after what had happened. Luca reckoned that Marie took the initiative to approach Jean because of Percy.It was not because she wa
“Congratulations, Ms. Nina.” Kari and Teri wished Nina after Sue wished her. Sue had taught them to do so before they went out. “How thoughtful and adorable you two little cutie pies are. I’d really like to bring you back home for a few days.” Nina smiled and stroked Kari’s head. The child was sitting beside her.Luca looked at the engagement gift and smiled. “Congratulations, Nina. I wish you all the love and happiness.” “Thank you,” replied Nina. Although Luca was not as talkative as Sue was, she knew Luca’s wish was sincere and true.One could not define a person's sincerity by how many words were spoken. Teri, who was sitting beside Sue, saw the engagement gift Sue was holding and said, “Mommy, I’d like to eat the candy.” “We’re having lunch soon. Is it alright if you eat it after lunch?” Sue discussed this with her daughter with a gentle voice.“No, I want to eat it now. It looks yummy.” Teri was greedy. She looked at the candy and acted cutely in front of Sue as she as
“Alright, let’s order.” Nina handed the other menu to Sue, while she shared a menu with Luca.After ordering, they discussed the current affairs in A City.Luca did not say anything as she did not know much about what was going on in A City, so she just listened to them talk.They were exposed to much more things than she was.Luca was always in the laboratory working on the research. She practically had no chance of coming in contact with the outside world.However, Nina and Sue were different.They were still the backbone of Brilliant Architectural Design LLC. They were in charge of the decision-making for basically all the matters at the company. It was only when it came to a particularly important decision that they would leave it up to Luke.Sue and Nina talked for some time before noticing that Luca had not spoken at all, so Sue apologized, “Sorry about that, Luca.”“Why apologize? The things you’re talking about are quite interesting,” Luca said with a smile. They were t
“What’s wrong?” Luca noticed the ghastly expression on Nina’s face.“The Rayne family called. They said that Jean is standing in front of the villa with Marie and refuses to leave. The guards could only notify the tenant, so Wanda had no choice but to call me,” said Nina while putting on the jacket she took off.If it were not for the fact that she was Bianca’s best friend, Wanda would have already made a police report. Jean was her brother, so Wanda was just giving her grace by calling her to let her deal with it.Luca stood up as soon as she heard that. “Isn’t Jean a law-abiding citizen now? Why cause trouble for Aunt—the Rayne family?”Luca’s anxiousness raised Nina’s suspicion, and she looked even more distressed. “I reckon it’s because I refuse to give him money. Jean doesn’t have a penny to his name now. Perhaps it’s also because Marie incited him to do this.”Luca thought of the soft and fragile Wanda. She was ill at ease. “I’ll go with you.”Nina wanted to tell Luca to no
Marie bit her lip. She knew all of that?She instantly felt guilty when Wanda looked at her.Luca was puzzled when she heard Wanda’s words and looked at Marie’s guilty expression.What else did Marie and her mother do that she was not aware of?Nina stood at the side and apologized to Wanda, “I’m very sorry, Aunt Rayne. If this happens again, please just call the police immediately without informing me.”She already knew that she would not be able to chase Jean away even before she came.It was because this was the first time this had happened, so she wanted to apologize to Wanda personally.“Nina, what did you say?” Jean did not believe the words that came out of her mouth. He instantly could not bear the sight of her and raised his hand to slap her.Luca reacted quickly and blocked him. She raised her hand and forcefully grabbed Jean’s wrist. “If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll make you regret it.”Jean looked at Luca’s exquisite face. Even though she was barefaced and lo
After a while, Luke’s people rushed over.Then, Luca briefly explained everything to them and let them go back.Luca heaved a sigh of relief as the matter had finally been resolved. Wanda saw the smile on her face after the problem was dealt with and could not help but lift her hand to dust off the fallen snow on Luca’s shoulders.“You must’ve rushed over here, right? You don’t even have your gloves on. It must be freezing. Let’s go inside,” she said.“Okay, Aunt Rayne.” Luca rubbed her palms together and followed Wanda into the neighborhood.Wanda walked beside Luca, and when she looked sideways at her, she was momentarily distracted by the fact that Luca was the same height as Bianca.Bianca used to walk beside her like this, but walking with Luca beside her gave her the same feeling.She was bewildered.Wanda shook her head slightly. Luca noticed and asked, “What is it, Aunt Rayne?”“Nothing. It’s a cold winter day, so let’s hurry inside the house. Old Master Crawford is he
The security guard remained completely unfazed.This was because the village chief was his uncle, and in their tight-knit community, they always stuck together and never favored outsiders.With directions from the people inside the ancestral hall, Hera found the village chief.“You’re the village chief, right?” Hera looked at the man in his fifties in front of her and spoke with an arrogant tone, completely unbothered.“And you are?” The village chief, seeing her attitude, was puzzled. He had no idea whether she was an investor or someone looking to discuss a major partnership to bring development to their quiet village.“It doesn’t matter who I am. I see you have surveillance here, and I need to review your footage,” replied Hera.The village chief was even more confused. “Are you a police officer?”“No.” Hera frowned. She thought reviewing surveillance footage was no big deal. Why was this village chief being so difficult?The village chief gave her a look as if she were a fo
“Wait a little longer. By the way, what kind of ancestral hall is this?” asked Hera.“It's a local family's ancestral hall. I heard it's been designed by the owner of a large company, and now it's also one of the tourist attractions.” The taxi driver was not from around here, so he did not know all the details, but he knew it had become a popular spot. “Now, thanks to the reputation of that boss, many architects come here as one of their reference points.”Hera frowned deeper. What was Luca doing here?The driver suggested, “If you're interested in sightseeing, the attractions inside are pretty good. But for outsiders, they charge an entrance fee. Maintenance costs a lot of money, so they charge tourists from outside.”“I'm not here for sightseeing,” replied Hera, “Don't worry. I'll pay you for however long I stay here. You’ll get your money.”The driver heard that she was paying, and did not press her further and remained quiet.Hera stared at the entrance of the ancestral hall,
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just
As Luca listened to his tone that was full of regret, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She recalled when she had a child and continued pursuing her education. If she had given up on herself back then, perhaps she and Luke would not find themselves here today.Luca felt she was much more fortunate than the volunteer. Even though she loved her father, she also understood the importance of education and did not let her father’s illness cause her to give up. She was also fortunate to have a father who supported her education.At the thought of this, Luca could not help but ask, “Do you regret it?”“No, I don’t regret it,” the volunteer smiled. “Actually, I always look at it in a positive light. Back then, several boys in my class liked her. If I hadn’t confessed, she might have become someone else’s girlfriend. If there’s anything I regret over the years, it’s that I was too selfish and it affected her studies.“I never thought that being in a relationship at a young age would
As Luca thought about it, she heard the volunteer exclaim, “With a wife like you, your husband must be so lucky and blessed.”Luca shook her head. To her, being cherished by Luke was a real blessing.“You’ve got it wrong. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Luca had often wondered what her life would have been like without Luke.Perhaps she would have married Jean, only to watch his true nature slowly reveal itself. She would have struggled, eventually unable to endure it, and maybe even ended up divorced.It could be something worse. She might have been taken advantage of, lost all hope, and spiraled downward...Anything was possible.However, Luca knew that no matter what happened, life would not be as good as it was now without Luke.Though she remained under someone else’s control, and life on the Island of Despair was fraught with hardship, with Luke by her side, she felt an unshakable courage.A light laugh from the volunteer interrupted her thoughts.Luca
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee